Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendour to their children.
May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
[Psalm 90: 14–17]
How are you sleeping? What are your mornings like? Many people have struggled to sleep in recent months, and have then struggled in the mornings. The Psalmist reminds us to spend time with God in the morning, as the first thing we do. I encourage you all that when you wake, even if you have had a bad night, take a few minutes to talk to God or just rest in the silence and feel God’s presence – see what a difference this can make to your day.
Many hymns speak of praise and being with God in the morning. Perhaps one of the best known is ‘Morning has broken’ by Eleanor Farjeon, speaking of the glories of the morning in creation and praise of God. One about praying during the morning would be ‘O God inspire our morning hymn’ by D. S. Warner, which speaks of the special nature of morning prayer with God, preparing us for the new day. Others that may interest you include ‘When morning gilds the sky’ translated by Edward Caswall, or ‘Awake, awake and greet the new morn’ by Marty Haugen, which is a Christmas hymn speaking of greeting Jesus in the dawn after waiting in the darkness of night.
God of mornings,
when we sleep, may we know your peace;
when we wake, may we know your presence.
Fill us with your love, your peace, your hope.
Equip us for the day ahead,
that we can face the challenges ahead;
that we can recognise the opportunities we are given;
that we can be thankful for the blessings we receive.
God of mornings, fill our day,
fill our hearts, and fill our lives.
Amen
You can download this Prayer for the Week here
Weekly Prayers for November by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image: sunrise – photo by OC Gonzalez on Unsplash
